Maytag Corp.’s plants shut down Thursday evening as union workers who make the company’s high-end washers and dryers walked off the job.
Members of United Auto Workers Local 997 were planning to meet shortly after the strike began this afternoon.
A contract covering more than 1,500 Maytag production workers in this central Iowa town where Maytag is based expired at midnight May 31, but both sides extended the contract through Wednesday night. That deadline passed and talks toward a new contract broke down Thursday.
“We’re very disappointed that the talks have broken off and that they were unable to reach an agreement,” Maytag spokeswoman Lynne Dragomier said.
Maytag chief executive Ralph Hake said earlier that the company had stockpiled appliances to guard against a strike. He said Friday that three other laundry plants could boost production.
The strike comes one week after the company announced plans to cut its salaried work force by 20 percent, or 1,100 jobs. Maytag cited lower sales and higher materials costs for the restructuring.
Maytag is also planning to shut down its plant in Galesburg, Ill. Production in Galesburg is scheduled to end in September.
From The Miami Herald